The 2005 men’s college basketball transfer portal opens March 24. It closes April 22.
Ohio State is one of many schools already doing due diligence. The Buckeyes bowed out of the Big Ten Tournament with a first-round loss to Iowa, dropping them to 17-15 overall and are mulling over possible changes even before the portal officially opens and before the NCAA Tournament field is announced.
When he announced the signing of two freshman during the fall, Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said it would be important to be able to have roster versatility when the transfer portal opened in the spring. At this point, it’s unclear how many players Ohio State is looking to sign, how many might be leaving and what its roster will look like next year.
On March 18, sophomore center Austin Parks announced his decision to enter the transfer portal, becoming the first member of the 2024-25 team to do so.
On March 24, junior wing Evan Mahaffey entered the transfer portal, becoming the second Buckeye to depart. He has committed to the University of Akron.
On March 26, Indiana’s Gabe Cupps announced his transfer to Ohio State, becoming the first player to join the roster via the portal.
On March 28, fifth-year guard Meechie Johnson Jr. announced that he was entering the transfer portal. He will have to apply for and receive a mental health medical hardship waiver to receive eligibility for a sixth season.
On April 3, Santa Clara center Christoph Tilly announced his commitment to Ohio State. On April 8, Wright State forward Brandon Noel announced his commitment to the Buckeyes.
On April 22, a few hours before the deadline, Sean Stewart entered the portal. On May 7, he committed to Oregon.
Also on May 7, Ohio State added a commitment from Baylor center Josh Ojianwuna.
Here is a running list of players the Buckeyes have been linked with. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
This list will be continuously updated as more names emerge.
Jalil Bethea, Miami
According to Adam Zagoria, Ohio State is one of 11 teams to have reached out to the 6-5, 190-pound guard who averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 31 games for the Hurricanes.
On April 6, he committed to Alabama.
Duke Brennan, Grand Canyon
Ohio State has added Santa Clara center transfer Christoph Tilly, but multiple April 6 reports include the Buckeyes on a list of schools to have reached out to the 6-10, 250-pound center. Brennan began his career at Arizona State but transferred to Grand Canyon after the 2022-23 season.
Brennan averaged 10.4 points and 9.2 rebounds in 2024-25. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
On April 17, he committed to Villanova.
Devan Cambridge, Texas Tech
This is a late addition to the list, partially because he didn’t appear to be a viable possibility until May 8 when he received a medical hardship waiver granting him a seventh year of eligibility.
According to an On3 report, Ohio State is on the list of schools to reach out to the 6-6, 215-pound wing who first played college basketball for Auburn in the 2019-20 season. He played three years with the Tigers, averaging 6.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 91 games including 33 starts.
He transferred to Arizona State for the 2022-23 season and played in 36 games with 35 starts, averaging 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per appearance. Cambridge then used his extra year of eligibility afforded to all players who participated during the COVID-19 pandemic and transferred to Texas Tech but only appeared in eight games in 2023-24 due to a knee injury.
He took a medical redshirt and tried to play in 2024-25 but shut it down after six games, left the program and applied for a hardship waiver that has now been granted. On May 22, he committed to UCF.
Gabe Cupps, Indiana
Update: Cupps committed to Ohio State on March 26. When Ohio’s 2023 Mr. Basketball picked a school, he chose the Hoosiers from a list of three finalists that also included Ohio State and Stanford. Now after two years at Indiana, including a 2024-25 season where he played in only four games due to injury and will take a medical redshirt, Cupps has entered the transfer portal.
Ohio State, Dayton and the new coaching staff at Indiana are all potential options, The Dispatch has confirmed. A Centerville native, the 6-2, 180-pound Cupps was a four-star prospect ranked No. 94 in the 2023 class according to the 247Sports.com composite. As a freshman, Cupps started 22 of Indiana’s 33 games and averaged 2.6 points while playing 21.7 minutes per game in 2023-24.
He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Nick Davidson, Nevada
According to a March 19 report from On3’s Joe Tipton, Ohio State is one of a laundry list of schools to contact the 6-10, 238-pound center. Davidson has spent four years with the Wolf Pack including a redshirt year.
Davidson earned second-team all-conference honors last season, when he averaged 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.8 steals per game. He shot 50 percent from the field and was 37.1% from 3-point range.
He committed to Clemson.
Kennard Davis Jr., Southern Illinois
According to an April 7 report from 247Sports, Ohio State and USC have been recent schools to hold Zoom calls with the 6-6, 215-pound guard.
Davis has two years of eligibility remaining. He averaged 16.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists as a sophomore while shooting 37.6% from 3 and playing 34.1 minutes per game.
Davis took an official visit to Ohio State during the weekend of April 12 and one to LSU one week later. On April 25, he committed to BYU.
Colby Duggan, Campbell
According to multiple reports, Ohio State is one of five schools to have contacted Duggan early. A 6-7, 220-pound sophomore forward, Duggan started 22 of 32 games for the Fighting Camels and averaged 15.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 34.0% from 3-point range. He earned first-team all-Coastal Athletic Association honors.
Duggan played 15 minutes off the bench in Campbell’s 104-60 loss at Value City Arena on Nov. 22, finishing with two points, two rebounds, a block, an assist, a turnover and three fouls.
On April 3, he committed to College of Charleston.
Wes Enis, Lincoln Memorial University
A Division II point guard, Enis was his conference’s second-leading scorer at 20.6 points per game while being named player of the year. He was freshman of the year in 2023-24 and is a native of Conover, Ohio.
The 6-2, 200-pound Enis is entering his junior season. As of April 10, Enis had cut his list to six schools and Ohio State was not among them. On April 17, he committed to South Florida.
Bryan Etumnu, Merrimack
Ohio State is one of multiple schools to reach out to junior Bryan Etumnu, a 6-7, 215-pound forward who was named the Metro Area Athletic Conference’s defensive player of the year in 2024-25.
As a junior, Etumnu averaged 8.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while playing 30.6 minutes per game for the Warriors. As a sophomore, Etumnu was named the MAAC’s most improved player after going from averaging 0.8 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.3 blocks in 19 games to 7.3, 3.1, and 1.9, respectively, in 22.3 minutes per game.
On April 21, Etumnu committed to Wright State.
Federiko Federiko, Texas Tech
A veteran center, the 6-11, 220-pound Federiko played two seasons at Pitt before transferring to the Red Raiders for 2024-25. In 103 career games, he has averaged 5.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while playing 21.2 minutes per appearance.
Last season, Federiko averaged 5.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 35 games including six starts. He has one year of eligibility remaining. On May 2, he committed to Texas A&M.
Owen Freeman, Iowa
What will assuredly be one of the most in-demand names in the portal, 2024 Big Ten freshman of the year Owen Freeman entered the portal with two years of eligibility remaining.
A 6-10, 230-pound center, Freeman averaged 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in two seasons with the Hawkeyes. Ohio State was one of many schools involved, but Freeman committed to Creighton on March 26.
Kezza Giffa, High Point
According to a post from @CBBContent on Twitter, Ohio State is one of nine schools to have reached out to the 6-2, 165-pound guard. Giffa played the 2021-22 season at UTEP, then played junior college ball at Daytona State before spending the last two years at High Point.
During those two seasons, Giffa averaged 15.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 42.3% overall and 32.7% from 3.
Blake Harper, Howard
A late addition to the list, Harper averaged 19.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists while starting all 34 games and playing 34.4 minutes per game as a freshman. The 6-5, 210-pound forward was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s player and rookie of the year.
An April 21 report from @247HSHoops on Twitter says that Harper is considering Ohio State, Creighton, LSU and a return to Howard. He has three years of eligibility remaining. Harper shot 40.4% from 3-point range.
On April 27, he committed to Creighton.
Morez Johnson Jr., Illinois
A 6-9, 255-pound center, Johnson had his way with Ohio State in the lone meeting between the two teams this year. Johnson had a double-double by halftime and finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds in Illinois’ 87-79 win on Feb. 2.
Johnson averaged 7.0 points and 6.7 rebounds while playing 17.6 minutes per game in 30 appearances including eight starts. According to an initial report from CBS’ Jon Rothstein, Ohio State is one name on a lengthy list of schools to reach out.
On April 1, Rothstein said Ohio State is one of six finalists. The others are Kansas, Michigan, Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky. Later that day, Johnson committed to the Wolverines.
Baba Miller, Florida Atlantic
A 6-11, 204-pound power forward/center, Miller played for the Owls in 2024-25 after spending his first two years of college basketball at Florida State. He averaged 11.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists at Florida Atlantic after going for 6.6, 4.5 and 1.2, respectively, for the Seminoles.
The Buckeyes are on a long list of schools to show interest in Miller, who has one season of eligibility remaining. He committed to Cincinnati.
Dezayne Mingo, Marshall
After two years playing for the University of Guelph Gryphons in his native Canada, Mingo enrolled at Marshall and averaged 12.6 points, 5.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds for the Thundering Herd. The 6-4, 185-pound guard has one year of eligibility remaining.
In his final season in Canada, Mingo averaged 20.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. On May 7, Charlotte announced his transfer.
Amarri Monroe, Quinnipiac
The 2024-25 Metro Area Athletic Conference player of the year, Monroe is a 6-7, 220-pound junior with one year of eligibility remaining. Monroe played at Wofford in 2022-23 before transferring to the Bobcats for the last two seasons, where he has flourished.
He was second-team all-conference in 2023-24, averaging 12.9 points and 6.9 rebounds while starting 33 of 34 games. Last year, he was first-team all-MAAC and player of the year after averaging 18.1 points and 9.1 rebounds in 32.9 minutes per game. He’s a career 42.3% shooter from the floor and 29.7% from 3. Ohio State is one of multiple schools to have reached out according to 247Sports.com.
He has announced a return to Quinnipiac.
Jarvis Moss, Radford
A well-traveled graduate transfer, Moss played at Stanford for two seasons, Davidson for one and Radford before entering the portal for the 2025-26 season. As a freshman in 2021-22, he only appeared in five games, then played in 12 the next year before appearing in 17 games for Davidson.
In 2024-25, he broke through with the Highlanders, averaging 13.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 37.6% from 3-point range. The 6-4, 190-pound North Carolina native had scored 40 points in his first three seasons before scoring 444 last year. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Brandon Noel, Wright State
Ohio State is in the mix for the Ohio native from Chillicothe who signed with the Raiders in 2020. He redshirted his first two seasons and has been a double-digit scorer ever since. Noel was named to the Horizon League’s all-freshman team and rookie of the year in 2022-23 and second-team all-league in each of the next two seasons.
A career 37.3% 3-point shooter, Noel shot 35.8% (38 for 106) last season while averaging 19.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
In three years, Noel has averaged 15.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists while playing 32.5 minutes per game. He’s appeared in 97 games with 90 starts and started all 33 of Wright State’s games in 2024-25.
He committed to Ohio State on April 8.
Josh Ojianwuna, Baylor
The 6-10, 230-pound Ojianwuna has increased his minutes and production in each of his three seasons with the Bears. In 2024-25, he averaged 7.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 24.7 minutes per game while playing in 24 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
The Dispatch has confirmed that the Buckeyes are one of the schools in the mix for Ojianwuna, who has one season of eligibility remaining. He visited during the weekend of May 3 and committed to Ohio State four days later.
Jonathan Powell, West Virginia
A native of Centerville, Ohio, Powell held an Ohio State offer but committed to the Mountaineers in the 2024 class. As a freshman, he played 30.1 minutes per game for West Virginia, averaging 8.3 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 35.2% from 3-point range, 37.8% from the floor and 48.0% from the free-throw line.
The Dispatch has confirmed an On3.com report that Powell took a visit to Ohio State on March 31. The website reported that he also has Zoom calls scheduled for North Carolina and Ole Miss. The 6-6, 191-pound Powell was the No. 138 national prospect out of high school, the No. 27 shooting guard in his class and No. 7 player from Ohio according to 247Sports.
On April 1, Powell committed to the Tar Heels.
Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
This is an interesting situation. Ohio State heavily recruited the 6-9 Quaintance, a Cleveland-area native, out of high school. He graduated early, joined Arizona State and played his freshman year with the Sun Devils, averaging 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds while playing 29.5 minutes per game and starting 24 games.
Although he’s a projected NBA lottery pick, Quaintance’s age and reclassification to the 2024 class meant he would have to play two years of college basketball before meeting the age requirement to play in the NBA. That means he’s got one more year before going pro, but complicating things is the fact that Quaintance suffered a torn ACL and is expected to be back to full-go by September.
He was a five-star prospect out of high school and, if healthy, could be the No. 1 prospect in the entire transfer class. According to 247Sports, Ohio State and Missouri are two early schools to monitor.
On April 8, Quaintance committed to Kentucky.
Malik Reneau, Indiana
After three years with the Hoosiers, Reneau entered the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining. A proven Big Ten scorer, the 6-9, 233-pound Reneau has averaged 11.4 points in 94 games including 55 starts for the Hoosiers.
Reneau has averaged in double figures in each of the last two seasons, scoring a career-high 15.4 points per game as a sophomore. Last year, he averaged 13.3 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 55.2% from the floor. According to On3.com, Reneau has received interest from a list of 10 schools including Ohio State.
On March 31, Reneau cut his list to Auburn, Arkansas, Michigan, Miami (Florida) and USC. On April 2, he committed to the Hurricanes.
Rodney Rice, Maryland
With coach Kevin Willard off to Villanova, the 6-4, 195-pound guard has entered the portal. Rice spent 2023-24 at Virginia Tech and 2024-25 at Maryland, where he averaged 13.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists and playing 31.1 minutes per game.
According to @247Hoops on Twitter, Ohio State was one name on a lengthy list of schools to reach out to Rice. On April 10, Rice cut his list to Villanova, Auburn, Tennessee, Gonzaga, USC and a return to Maryland.
On April 22, Rice committed to USC.
Tyrone Riley, San Francisco
According to an April 4 report from 247Sports, Ohio State is one of multiple schools to have expressed interest in the 6-6, 180-pound guard who averaged 9.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists as a freshman for the Dons.
He has since re-committed to San Francisco.
Pryce Sandfort, Iowa
Another former Hawkeye, the 6-6, 205-pound forward averaged 8.8 points per game as a sophomore while shooting 40.0% (56 for 140) from 3-point range. In Iowa’s first-round Big Ten win against Ohio State, Sandfort had 10 points and hit a dagger 3 to sink the Buckeyes.
A source has told The Dispatch that Ohio State is one of multiple Big Ten teams in pursuit of Sandfort, who entered the portal after coach Fran McCaffery was fired. As a sophomore, he averaged 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.4 minutes per game.
He has two years of eligibility remaining. On April 4, Sandfort committed to Nebraska.
Lathan Sommerville, Rutgers
According to Joe Tipson of On3, Ohio State is one of nine schools showing interest in the 6-10, 275-pound center originally from Peoria, Illinois. Sommerville played in 32 games for the Scarlet Knights, averaging 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds while playing 20.9 minutes per game.
He was the No. 118 national prospect in the class of 2024 according to 247Sports.com. He had 8 points and five rebounds in 14 minutes of playing time against the Buckeyes this year.
On April 1, Sommerville committed to Washington.
Ognjen Stankovic, International
According to a May 22 post by Tobias Bass of The Athletic, Ohio State is on a list of schools to show interest in the 20-year-old Stankovic. He’s from Serbia.
Marquel Sutton, Nebraska Omaha
According to a list compiled by 247Sports.com, Ohio State is one of a long list of schools involved with the 6-7, 205-pound rising junior who averaged a career-high 18.9 points per game last season.
A double-digit scorer in all three seasons with the Mavericks, Sutton also averaged 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists last season. On April 6, he committed to LSU.
Dailyn Swain, Xavier
An Africentric grad, Swain was the first Columbus City League player to earn an Ohio State scholarship offer since Seth Towns. The Buckeyes recruited him and were a finalist, but Swain signed with Xavier in the 2023 recruiting class.
He was the No. 103 national prospect, the No. 22 small forward and No. 2 player from Ohio in his class per 247Sports. He was a rotation player for the Musketeers as a freshman but finished his sophomore year averaging 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 53.2% from the floor. The 6-8, 220-pound wing only shot 25.0% from 3 (7 for 28) but was 81.7% (98 for 120) from the free-throw line.
Ohio State was in the mix to bring Swain back to Columbus (a few Buckeyes were publicly recruiting him as well). He announced April 1 that he was following coach Sean Miller to Texas after entering the portal once the coach was announced as the new Longhorns boss.
Christoph Tilly, Santa Clara
A 7-0, 225-pound center, Tilly was a second-team all-West Coast Conference pick after averaging 12.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 31.5% (17 for 54) from 3 and 55.4% overall. He has started 59 of 60 games he played in for the Broncos during the last two seasons.
Tilly has one year of eligibility remaining. According to On3, Tilly had March 27 Zoom calls set up with Ohio State and Illinois. Ohio State beat Santa Clara in the Emerald Coast Classic title game in 2023, finishing with 7 points and two rebounds in 16 minutes.
On April 3, Tilly committed to Ohio State.
Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
The NBA is in play for the 6-6, 210-pound forward, but so is Ohio State. After averaging 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists, Williams is going through the draft process while keeping his collegiate eligibility intact.
Should he return to college, Ohio State is alongside Kansas and N.C. State as potential landing spots. Williams played one year at Nevada and the last two with the Red Raiders. He has averaged 13.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists at Texas Tech while shooting 38.8% from 3-point range.
On May 23, he committed to N.C. State.
All Wright, Valparaiso
A 6-3, 180-pound guard, Wright averaged 15.5 points, 2.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds while earning Mountain Valley Conference rookie of the year honors. According to On3.com, Wright has received interest from more than a dozen schools including Ohio State.
Wright played against the Buckeyes this season, scoring a team-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting as Ohio State won 95-73 on Dec. 17. On April 3, Wright committed to Xavier.
Jalen Washington, North Carolina
The 6-10, 255-pound forward took an April 1 official visit to Ohio State. In three years with the Tar Heels, Washington averaged 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 93 games including 16 starts.
As a junior, Washington averaged a career-high 5.7 points and 4.2 rebounds while playing 15.9 minutes per game. On April 4, Washington committed to Vanderbilt.
Harun Zrno, freshman/Indiana
A 6-6, 205-pound shooting guard from Bosnia, Zrno committed to the Hoosiers but could potentially be back in play after the school parted ways with coach Mike Woodson. According to Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com, Ohio State, Penn State, Maryland and Miami (Florida) have all reached out to Zrno as he waits to talk with new Indiana coach Darian DeVries.
On April 28, he committed to Rutgers.
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
